Nagumo Kaoru
"The smile she gave in return was beautiful, but there was something about it that seemed… odd." Nagumo Kaoru, 'known as '''Kaoru Nagumo '''in the localization, is an antagonist in ''Hakuōki. He is a demon currently in the service of the Tosa domain. However, he is originally from the Yukimura clan, and is Chizuru's elder twin brother. Personality In his childhood, Kaoru was naturally protective of his younger twin sister Chizuru. After the Yukimura village was destroyed, he selflessly went to the Nagumo family, pretending to be Chizuru so that they would leave her alone. However, his adoptive family's anger at his deception and the unspecified abuse that followed warped his mind so that he now believes that his hardships are Chizuru's fault. This is exacerbated by the fact that she does not remember him and therefore cannot acknowledge his sacrifice. Currently, Kaoru is unbalanced, vengeful, delusional, and sadistic. He is willing to go to extreme lengths to cause Chizuru pain, with the intention of demonstrating to her the hell he has lived, and does not care how many others are hurt in the process. Despite this, in certain routes, he claims to love Chizuru, and implies that his reason for depriving her of everything else she loves is so that she will understand his suffering and come to love him too. Background Nagumo Kaoru is a fictional character. After the destruction of the Yukimura village, he voluntarily went to the Nagumo family, who were expecting to receive Chizuru instead, and suffered abuse due to his gender. Possibly as a result of this, Kaoru made a habit of crossdressing. Though he is in possession of the katana passed down through the Yukimura family, he does not keep it at his side in his feminine persona. Sometime shortly before the events of the games, Kaoru became the head of the Nagumo clan. Despite the clan's previous agreement to stay out of human affairs, Kaoru was intrigued by the conflict going on in the Tosa domain and agreed to work with them of his own volition. This decision earned him and his clan suspicion and disapproval from most other demons. After hearing from Tosa spies that the Shinsengumi had taken in someone by the name of Yukimura, Kaoru was overcome with curiosity and went to Kyoto himself in the hopes of finding his sister. In Hakuōki: Stories of the Shinsengumi ''See also: Nagumo Kaoru/Route'' Chapter 2 Kaoru is first encountered when Okita and Heisuke drive off some ronin confronting him. Okita notes his resemblance to Chizuru, but since he is dressed as a female and Chizuru is dressed as a male, Heisuke cannot see their likeness. Chapter 3 Okita's route In Hakuōki: Kyoto Winds Kaoru's involvement in the plot is largely the same as in Stories of the Shinsengumi, with the following exceptions. Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 (Okita) Chapter 5 (Sanan) Chapter 5 (Sakamoto) Chapter 5 (Kazama) In Hakuōki: Edo Blossoms Hijikata's route Okita's route Saito's route Heisuke's route Harada's route Nagakura's route Sanan's route Yamazaki's route Iba's route Souma's route Sakamoto's route Kazama's route Kaoru dies of a wound Kazama inflicted using '''Yasutsuna's Demonslayer during the confrontation with Kodo in Edo. Kazama and Chizuru find his body in the ruins of the Yukimura village, and they bury him atop a hill. In Hakuōki: Sweet School Life '''Main article: 'Nagumo Kaoru/SSL'' In the anime In the musicals Kaoru is portrayed by Suzuki Hiroki in all his HakuMyu appearances. HakuMyu Okita-hen * "Yoiyami Aketara Asobimasho" * "Kyōdai ~ Nite Inai Kai" * "THE BEAST" * "Kanaetai Yume ga Arukara Part 1" * "Kanaetai Yume ga Arukara Part 2" HakuMyu LIVE * "Yaisa! Yaisa! Yaisa!" * "Kyōdai ~ Nite Inai Kai (feat. Kodo)" * "The Final Battle Medley" Kaoru is also part of the ensemble in "Kazama Medley". Gallery Kaoru-chibi.png|Chibi Kaoru Kaoru-1.jpg|Damsel in distress…? Kaoru-Chizuru-1.jpg|The ultimate revenge Katana-1.jpg|Kaoru's katana Kaoru-Suzuki-male-1.jpg|Kaoru as he appears in HakuMyu Okita-hen Kaoru-Suzuki-male-2.jpg Kaoru-Suzuki-male-3.jpg|Kaoru as he appears in HakuMyu LIVE Quotes Trivia * Kaoru does not carry a wakizashi. * The coloration of Kaoru's feminine clothing directly mirrors that of Chizuru's Eastern outfit. * In Hakuōki Otogisoushi, Kaoru's repeated attempts to make Chizuru suffer are toned down to simple pranks and then played for laughs as they backfire. * According to ''Shall We Date: Demons' Bond ''canon, the character '''Yukimura Kazuya '''is implied to be a distant relative of Yukimura Chizuru and Nagumo Kaoru (due to his having been born as a Yukimura). Category:Characters Category:Fictional characters Category:Male characters Category:Demons Category:Furies Category:Antagonists Category:HakuMyu characters